Analysts Set Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) PT at $172.34

Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $172.34.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup lowered their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Wedbush increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total transaction of $560,552.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,228,767.32. This represents a 6.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total transaction of $9,349,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 944,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,263,808.16. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 72.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,781,201 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,360,384,000 after buying an additional 3,695,837 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 108.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,329,125 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $825,588,000 after buying an additional 2,777,339 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 107.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,689,451 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $418,223,000 after buying an additional 1,393,436 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 118.7% in the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,110,320 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $326,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,145,410 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,902,382 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $352,283,000 after acquiring an additional 249,389 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock traded down $4.46 during trading on Monday, reaching $209.19. The company had a trading volume of 828,129 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,268,668. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.74, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.79. Williams-Sonoma has a 12-month low of $108.74 and a 12-month high of $219.98. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $200.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $165.34.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.97%.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.